Space Vocab Flashcards
Universe
Space and all the matter in it
Meteorite
A small object from outer apace that passes through Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the surface
Quarter Moon
Half of the moon is illuminated
New Moon
The entire surface of the moon is not illuminated
Astronomical unit
Average distance from the sun which is 93,000,000 miles
Revolution
The motion of one body around another, such as the Earth in its orbit around the sun
Crescent moon
The illuminated surface is less that a quarter illuminated
Prenumbra
A region of lighter shadow that may surround a dark central region
Mare
A large dark plain of solidified lava in the moon
Galaxy
Million and billions of stars held together in a group by their own gravity
Umbra
Dark central region of a shadow such as the cone of complete shadow cast by an object
Comet
A body that produces a coma of gas and dust, a small icy body that orbits the sun
Eclipse
An event during which and object in space casts a shadow onto another
Gibbous moon
More than half but less then fully illuminated
Orbit
The path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity
Heliocentric theory
A sun centered theory of the universe
Tide
The rise and fall of the ocean caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun
Waning
The gradual decrease in the illuminated surface of the moon
Geocentric theory
Earth centered theory of the solar system
Ellipse
An oval or flattened circle
Season
One of a pattern of temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of a year
Gravity
The force that objects exert on one another because of their mass
Impact crater
A round pit left behind on the surface of a planet after a smaller object strikes the surface
Solar system
The sun and its family of orbiting planets and moons and other objects
Gas giant
A large planet that consists mostly of gases in a dense form
Equinox
In an orbit, a position and time in which sun shines equally on both hemispheres
Asteroid
A small solid rocky body that orbits the sun
Full moon
The entire surface of the moon is illuminated
Solstice
In an orbit, a position and time during which one hemisphere receives the maximum sunlight
Satellite
An object that orbits a more massive object
The gradual increase of the illuminated surface of the moon
Waxing
Meteor
A brief streak of light produced by a particle entering Earths atmosphere at high speed
Terrestrial planet
A planet that has a rocky surface
Axis of Rotation
An imaginary line about which a turning body suck as Earth rotates
